Whether you’re vegetarian, vegan, or just looking to cut back on your meat consumption, Mediterranean food is a great option.

Unlike the highly processed meat-substitutes that have made their way onto shelves in recent years, vegetarian and vegan Mediterranean food is completely natural, minimally processed and healthier for you.

Traditional Dishes

Whole foods, plant-based eating feels like a brand-new concept. In San Diego, and across the US, new restaurants are opening up to cater for a surge in vegan and flexitarian diners. But healthy vegetarian and vegan dishes have always been on our menu as an authentic part of a Mediterranean diet.

Let’s pause for a mini history lesson. In the past meat was expensive and difficult to keep in the heat of the Mediterranean sun, while legumes and vegetables were plentiful. Before meat became so easily accessible, beans and lentils were an important source of protein, and vegetables were spiced and prepared to make them more delectable and filling.

Over generations, recipes have been created and perfected to become what they are today. These same authentic recipes have made their way to our San Diego restaurant.

Natural and Healthy

While the world marvels at lab-grown meat and Hollywood celebrities spend millions backing vegan burgers, there’s a question that has bemused Mediterranean chefs: why go to all those lengths to replicate meat when there are already plenty of natural, healthy, whole-foods alternatives? Someone had better introduce Leo to Mediterranean food!

Just to show you how pure and angelic plant-based Mediterranean dishes are, here is a list of some of our popular appetizers from our catering menu and their main ingredients:

Falafels: garbanzo beans, fava beans, herbs and spices.
Baba Ghanouj: eggplant, tahini, garlic and lemon
Hummus: garbanzo beans, tahini, garlic and lemon
Vegi Dolma: Grape leaves tomatoes, rice, herbs and spices

You see? No scary processed ingredients to be seen, nothing is unfamiliar, no trans fats, just healthy, fresh whole-foods.

Vegetable Oils

The majority of Mediterranean foods are prepared in olive oil and therefore the vegetable dishes are easily made vegan too. North American and Northern European diets tend to favor dairy or lard. Go to France and order the garlic mushrooms, and they’ll come back swimming in butter, go to Greece and the same dish will be suitable for vegans.

In our previous blog, we explored the health benefits of olive oil, so if you’re switching to a plant-based diet for health reasons, Mediterranean food is a great choice.

At Aladdin Cafe, we’re passionate about using fresh herbs and vegetables in all our recipes. Let our staff know about your dietary requirements and we’ll happily talk you through your options.

We have plenty of plant-based dishes on offer, and a few dishes can be adjusted to be suitable for you. We’re excited about serving up real, authentic dishes and nutritionally rich food that you and your fellow diners will all enjoy.

www.aladdincafe.com

You need more olive oil in your diet

It’s the most deadly disease on the planet. Around the world, someone will die from it every 37 seconds. The best hygiene in the world won’t help. If you haven’t guessed already, it’s heart disease, and it’s the leading cause of death in men and women alike.

Although good hand washing practices won’t help with this particular disease, there is a simple change you can make that could kick heart disease to the curb—adding a healthy dose of olive oil to your diet.

Olive oil is a healthy fat packed with features that help fight heart disease. Some of them you may be familiar with, but others are still relatively new to science. One of these major benefits is from polyphenols, amazing compounds that do a number of amazing things for the body, including:

• Helps maintain normal blood pressure
• Improves upper respiratory tract health
• Supports memory, learning and thinking
• May help both prevent and treat type 2 diabetes
• Protects blood lipids from oxidative damage
• Reduces the ability of plaque to stick to artery walls

So what does that mean for the person who adds more olive oil to their diet? It means a healthier, and longer life. Heart disease is caused by plaque building up in the arteries. The plaque can harden the arteries, as well as block them and prevent blood flow.
When blood flow becomes too restricted or blocked, it can damage the heart and cause an early, entirely preventable, death.
The people who eat Mediterranean foods as a regular part of their diet, such as those who live in Greece or along the Mediterranean coast, rarely die of heart disease. They tend to live long, full lifespans unafflicted by heart problems.
This is in part due to the copious amounts of olive oil that is part of their diets. Large amounts of olive oil act like Teflon spray for your arteries, helping your blood rinse off plaque before it can stick to your artery walls, and making it less likely for the plaque to attach in the first place.
A Mediterranean diet could end death by heart disease as we know it, and it may also help in the prevention of a number of other chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, and even some types of cancer.
If you want to live a long and healthy life uninterrupted by disease, your diet is a great place to start. The saying goes, “You are what you eat,” and choosing a diet rich in healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals are essential to good health.
The Mediterranean diet is both nutritious and extremely healthy. You can experience the full wealth of Mediterranean dishes by stopping by the Aladdin Mediterranean Restaurant and trying some of the food yourself. You’ll be impressed by the variety and flavor available, and feel great knowing that any choice you make will be a good choice—for your heart.

References:
https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29141574

On Ikaria island, located in Greece, living to 100 or more is considered normal. The astounding longevity of Ikarians is so consistent, scientists come from all over the world to study what they eat and do each day to achieve such consistent longevity across the population.

Exercise, a mid-day nap, and strong family ties all have their role to play, but another essential part of their long lifespan comes from the food—a Mediterranean diet.

Mediterranean foods include lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, lean meats, and olive oil. This tasty and heart healthy diet has come out on top as one of the best diets to lower cholesterol levels and lose weight, all without having to restrict calories. Greek food has hundreds of different dishes encompassed in it, with a full range of different flavors to go with it.

The tastes range from a simple bowl of hummus, to richly seasoned dolma, to plump and satisfying falafel. No matter where you look on a typical Mediterranean menu, you can expect to find great flavor leaving you full and satisfied.

Typically when we think of a diet, we think of going without. Diets typically restrict calories, food groups, or even complete macro nutrients. They eventually fail to help with losing weight or improving health because the person dieting gets tired of feeling hungry and miserable.

Keeping to a Mediterranean diet is easier because the food is tasty, there’s a huge variety, and it doesn’t reject fats—a critical macro nutrient to help you feel satisfied. Best of all, this diet can be adjusted to be vegetarian or even vegan, without compromising on flavor.

With rising concern over climate change and how factory farming could be a major cause of it, the Mediterranean diet also offers ecoconscious people a tasty way to eat that is soft on the planet. Thanks to the plant-based nature of the food, you can eat your fill of spicy, flavorful dishes without feeling guilty of what the future cost of your food may be.

Eating fresh, local foods in their season is a great way to slash your carbon footprint, and it can only benefit your health. The Ikarians know how important enjoying healthy delicious foods are, and their spectacular longevity is proof of how great Mediterranean food can be great for your health.

If you’re interested in learning more about Mediterranean food and experiencing the rich flavors for yourself, stop by our Aladdin Mediterranean restaurant in San Diego and try the food for yourself. No calorie counting, no carb cutting, just great food and great health.

If you want to live a long healthy life, one of the key ways to make those changes is to take a look at your diet. A Mediterranean diet isn’t the only healthy choice out there, but it is certainly one of the tastiest. When you tuck into a chopped chicken salad or some delicious hummus, you can marvel that no matter what choice you make, it will be a healthy one.

References:
https://greekcitytimes.com/2019/04/06/ikaria-the-island-where-people-live-longer-than-just-about-anywhere-else-in-the-world/?amp
https://www.webmd.com/diet/ss/slideshow-12-reasons-to-love-the-mediterranean-diet